Why is this game so damn good? And when will we stop playing?

[Zeiter]

Even after all these years, I still have nightmares of facing off against a late-game beefed up Deidre with the cloning vats and literally hundreds of IoD's and mind worms, as happened to me one time...or pleasant, satisfying dreams of my chaos rovers storming the beaches of Manufacturing Warrens.

God help me if I ever get a girlfriend who enjoyed Alpha Centauri as much as I do.

The lack of easy multiplayer internet connection is the real buzzkill for why I don't play the game as much as I used to anymore...I could never get any of my friends who were sorta into Alpha Centauri to do a play-by-email game...it's just too cumbersome for most people. But people who play chess-by-postal-mail would understand it instantly.

[Hydro]

I guess I'm real lucky. An old high school friend loves AC, and we've been doing PBEM for years now. It is MUCH different playing against a human. I'm likely to (OK- almost sure to) lose PBEM16 (using SMAniaC Mod), but that's just fine.

Hydro

[Senethro]

I've already stopped playing unfortunately. Civ4 killed it for me. SMAC is the more interesting and atmospheric game, but Civ4's user interface and ease of play have made tight ICS absolutely abhorrent to manage.

Well, maybe that and a sudden prediliction for frags, headshots and nadespamming that came upon me a couple of years ago.

[Heraclitus]

What you have just said might have been true for me as well, about a year ago.But Civ4 has just become so bland, the only thing that can get me excited about it is diplo.

But I reinstalled SMAC a few weeks ago. I've realised that civ4 was a young one trick pony while SMAC is a dirty little... eh I mean a very creative and experienced lady.



I love you SMAC.

[Hercules]

Originally posted by Zeiter

The lack of easy multiplayer internet connection is the real buzzkill for why I don't play the game as much as I used to anymore...I could never get any of my friends who were sorta into Alpha Centauri to do a play-by-email game...it's just too cumbersome for most people. But people who play chess-by-postal-mail would understand it instantly.

You should check out the IP thread here

We play via Hamachi, which works very well.

[McLaine]

Why is the game so good?
A good question... like many, I have been playing this game on/off for several years now. Some of the points I think count:

• The interface to interact with the AI players is very good. It is better than anything I have seen in other games, including CIV.
  The possibility to build bases at sea. Again, something unique.
  A good tradeoff between complexity and challenge.
  Bases with radii of influence. Again something I am missing in CIV.
  The fact that the game is turn-based. I hate real-time games. I lke to sit back, relax and think about things.
  One of the only games with a credible background story.
  A good choice of typical personalities.
  Fighters are powerful things. I like using fighters for the main attack.
  Several ways to win and each way has a unique end.
  Nice movies, voices, ...

[Heraclitus]

Originally posted by McLaine

Bases with radii of influence. Again something I am missing in CIV.
[/list]

This was introduced back in civ 3....

[Alinestra Covelia]

...and SMAC did it before Civ3 did. Hail SMAC!

[Heraclitus]

Originally posted by Alinestra Covelia
...and SMAC did it before Civ3 did. Hail SMAC!

All hail SMAC!






Civ 3 was a big step back compared to SMAC, even civ 4 with its vast improvements is not better than SMAC, its just different.

[vyeh]

Originally posted by Alinestra Covelia
...and SMAC did it before Civ3 did. Hail SMAC!

There is a school of thought that SMAC is the true successor to Civ II (remember Civilization: Call to Power and Civiliization: Test of Time?) If there hadn't been a problem with ownership of the name Civilization, maybe SMAC would have been Civilization: The Next 500 Years and there would be a lot more players.

[Heraclitus]

Originally posted by vyeh


There is a school of thought that SMAC is the true successor to Civ II (remember Civilization: Call to Power and Civiliization: Test of Time?) If there hadn't been a problem with ownership of the name Civilization, maybe SMAC would have been Civilization: The Next 500 Years and there would be a lot more players.

Maybe we will see a SMAC2 before 2060. If that happens SMAC will become a great game series in its own right.

[gwillybj]

SMAC2 will be delivered back to us from Chiron after it is successfully colonized and the interfactional nonsense stops and the planet is subdued. I just hope there will be somebody here to receive it.

[McLaine]

The CIV3 implementation is not the same as the one from SMAC... I find the latter better, but of course that is a personal opinion.

[Verrucosus]

Originally posted by gwillybj
SMAC2 will be delivered back to us from Chiron after it is successfully colonized and the interfactional nonsense stops and the planet is subdued. I just hope there will be somebody here to receive it.

I disagree. Morgan Interactive will develop SMAC2 while the interfactional nonsense is in full swing.

[Illyrien]

I just found this thread and couldnt help but to answer :-)


I've just recently started a series of games with the following rules:
*Teg Stagnation
*Cooperative Victory
*You start with a colony pod not a base
*Map of Planet
*Tranced Difficulty
*Aliens are boring, restart if they are present

I plan to go through all the factions and win, just for the fun of it.

So far I have done
Spartan Federation (as a builder faction... Police State is wonderfull, with Non-Lethal that is 12 less drones!)
Morgan Industries
Cybernetic Conciousness

I started with the Nautilus Pirates but got smashed, so Im currently trying the Gaians instead.